Celebrating the release of his new CD Under An Urban Moon, J. Michael Reeds performed in an energetic act directed by Jay Rogers at Don’t Tell Mama. Reeds’ smooth baritone brought to mind the velvet sound of Don McLean on his opening song, "Beauty of the Rain" by Dar Williams. He bounced into "Down With Love" and Reeds demonstrated that every bone in his 6’ 4" body is wired to music. Announcing that Bobby Troup was one of his idols, "One October Morning" ("you came to stay," goes the lyric) was sung tenderly with a beautiful saxophone solo by Colin Killalea.

Sitting on a stool, Reeds began to tell his life story, about being the son of performers and coming to New York City at 18 and living in three different bachelor apartments. The first one was a SRO ("single room occupancy") in Hell’s Kitchen overlooking a parking lot where Madison Square Garden once was. "Let’s Get Lost" was his pickup song in the west side gay bars and he sang it slowly and sexily with sinuous moves. The second apartment was on the upper east side, a sublet lined with film cans by the manager of the Thalia revival theater who had a 35 mm projector on the coffee table and liked sex in public and never went anywhere without his dog. A sweetly moving "People You Never Get to Love" by Rupert Holmes demonstrated a lot of missed chances at love in the city. On some of the tracks of the CD, Music Director Wells Hanley played the melodia, a miniature wind instrument shaped like a keyboard, and this night Hanley accompanied him artistically on the Suzanne Vega great song "Cinnamon."

One night in a bar Reeds mer the great love of his life, Gil Gentry, visual and performance artist, poet, director. From that first night until Gentry died last year they were never apart. Because they had worked on a Noël Coward project that never materialized, Reeds sang two of Coward’s songs in tribute: "Louisa," the clever song about the lonely Hollywood star, and "Someday I’ll Find You" from Private Lives.

Jazzy versions of "I Walk A Little Faster" with great solos by Ritt Henn on bass, Jacob Melchoir on percussion and drums, and Killalea again on sax, and "That Old Black Magic" were sung with every inch of his Reeds’ tall frame rocking and a great piano solo by Hanley.

The third bachelor pad was an upper west side fifth floor walkup that he shared with Gentry 29 years and 10 months until Gentry died. "Landslide," a great song by Stevie Nicks was heartbreaking because its lyric goes:

"I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you get bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too...
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down"

and Reeds performed it with emotional truth.

Reeds then closed with another up tempo Bobby Troup song, this one written with Gerry Mulligan, "Walking Shoes," with exciting solos for each member of the band.

The appropriate encore, sung with the rare verse, was "Pennies From Heaven."

Joe Regan, Jr.
Cabaret Scenes
January 29, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org